Lu Yunze had rarely dreamed about his mother. Yet this time, the entire scene inside the dream felt blurry, like faded ink.
In the dream, his mother wore a pure white lab coat, holding little Lu Yunze by the hand, guiding him past her workplace.
It was a long hallway.
On both sides stood cylindrical biological containers nearly two meters tall, filled with green liquid that bubbled quietly.
While his mother wasnโt paying attention, mischievous little Lu Yunze slipped out of her grasp and ran toward one of the containers, peering inside curiously.
He could not see clearlyโthe bubbles were too thick.
Lu Yunze narrowed his eyes, waiting patiently. Finally, when the bubbles thinned for a moment, he managed to see the thing floating inside.
It looked like a living organism. Its body curled up, as if it were asleep.
Just as young Lu Yunze was about to ask his mother what it wasโ
The creature inside the container suddenly opened its eyes.
And thenโ
Lu Yunze woke up.
Staring at the familiar bedroom ceiling, he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
โโฆItโs been a long time since I dreamt of Mother.โ
Time flew, and his parents had been gone for ten years. Their faces in his memory had grown faint and indistinct.
His head injury from that old accident caused his childhood memories to become fuzzy; he could no longer recall what his parents specifically did for work.
Judging from the white lab coat in his dream, his mother should have been a doctor at some hospitalโฆ
Or perhaps the hospital director?
โโฆStrange. Why dream of her now?โ
Lu Yunze froze.
โโฆCould it be because I was sleeping beside Xiao Sui?โ
โHm?โ
He turned and saw the familiar little face beside him.
โI heard that when a man is at his most vulnerable, a womanโs maternal aura can calm his emotions,โ Jiang Sui murmured.
She was dressed in a maid uniform, sleeves rolled up, exposing her pale forearms.
On the table sat a washbasin of warm water and a folded towel, plus several medical items. Paired with her calm smile, it was enough to make Lu Yunze feel uneasy.
โExplain. You didnโt do anything weird to me, right? And why am I shirtless?โ
โEh? Young Master, before you woke up, Iโve been tending to you the whole time,โ Jiang Sui placed her hand over her cheek, looking wounded.
โYou wake up and thatโs the first thing you ask? It hurts my heart.โ
โโฆAnyone would be suspicious! I woke up half-naked with a girl standing over me!โ
โItโs just that you were sweating, so I wiped your body and changed your clothes,โ Jiang Sui replied casually.
โThatโs it?โ
โMm-hmm~ Besidesโฆโ Jiang Sui leaned forward and tapped his bare chest with a fingertip, voice lowering, โYoung Masterโs body is quiteโฆ impressive. Healthy and strong~โ
Her fingertip slid lower, trailing along his abdominal muscles.
โAnd even like this, your body still reacts. Really makes it impossible not to notice, you know?โ
โThatโs just normal physiology!โ
He bolted upright instantly and grabbed the nearest shirt.
Jiang Sui sat down elegantly, chin propped on hand, eyes filled with mirth as she watched him panic while dressing.
โI rememberโฆ I wasnโt at home.โ
Once he calmed down, Lu Yunze began piecing events together.
โAnd thenโฆ we were attackedโฆโ
โThat moment scared me half to death.โ Jiang Sui sighed.
โYou went out to play, and we were all relaxed at home. Then suddenly you and Miss Luo were sent back in an ambulance.โ
โโฆOnly me and Luo Yao?โ
A memory flickeredโsilver hair fluttering under moonlightโbut he stayed silent.
โThankfully you werenโt physically injured. You were poisoned, but after treatment, youโre fine now.โ
โI seeโฆโ
Jiang Sui tilted her head, smiling sweetly as she examined his complexion.
โYouโre recovering fast, Young Master. Miss Luoโs poisoning was lighter than yours, yet you woke up first.โ
โโฆNot surprising. Iโm strong.โ
Jiang Sui giggled and leaned closer.
โYoung Master, do you know why?โ
โWhy?โ
She gave him a mischievous look.
โBecause when you were unconscious, you kept moving. So I, being so very considerate, helped you relieve yourself with my hand~โ
โWHAT?!โ
Lu Yunze nearly jumped off the bed.
Before he could speak more, Jiang Sui held up the blanket with a calm smile.
โThis new blanket was changed because you dirtied the last one. It feels nice, yes?โ
โThat is NOT funny.โ
Just as Lu Yunze was about to scold her for such an inappropriate joke, the bedroom door swung open.
Luo Yao stepped in.
Her face was pale and clearly exhausted, but when she saw Lu Yunze awake, she smiled with relief.
โLu-gege, youโre up.โ
โJiang Sui, leave for now. Iโll take care of him.โ
โYes, Miss Luo,โ Jiang Sui replied obediently, emotionless. Not one unnecessary wordโshe simply left.
Lu Yunze waited until the door closed before looking toward Luo Yao.
โI thought it would take me several more days to recoverโฆ but Iโm fine.โ
โYouโre stronger than me, Lu-gege,โ Luo Yao forced a faint smile.
Her face was still sickly pale, voice weakโshe looked like she could collapse any minute.
โAs long as youโre alright, Iโm relieved. Go rest, I still have medicine to finish.โ
Lu Yunze didnโt press further and instead asked about the Ankang Town incident.
The investigation had already begun onlineโnews articles called it a gas explosion or chemical leakage case.
Lu Yunze could only sigh at the level of information control enforced by the police and the Enforcer Division.
Who wouldโve thought that little Ankang Town was actually the missing-person organizationโs base?
Now that Hu Ming was dead and the mist had dispersed, countless criminals were arrested. For the first time, a breakthrough into the organization seemed possible.
โThatโs good news.โ
But Luo Yaoโs expression darkened.
โMore than fifty casualties.โ
Lu Yunze fell silent.
โโฆThey came for me, yet innocent people died because of that.โ
Luo Yao frowned slightly, a hint of sadness in her smile.
โThatโs whyโ Luo Yao stared at him coldly, โLu-gege, next time you must listen to me. If not, even I wonโt forgive you.โ
โโฆFine.โ
After sending her off, Lu Yunze got out of bed and headed to the courtyard.
Every servant he encountered showed relieved expressions upon seeing him awake.
He stepped outside.
Before he even reached the flowerbeds, he saw a familiar figure working silently under the sun.
When he approached quietly, Jiang Sui instantly sensed him and turned, braid swinging behind her.
Sunlight poured down, reflecting off her sweat-soaked bangs and fair skin. The droplets on her body sparkled like gemstones. Her purple eyes gleamed like polished amethyst.
For a moment, she seemed to shine and Lu Yunze forgot what he wanted to say.
โโฆDid you come here while I was gone?โ
โMm. Everything Young Master teaches me, I engrave into my heart.โ Jiang Sui tapped her head proudly with her dirt-covered fingertip.
โWellโฆ if I died in Ankang Town, at least I know someone would take care of them.โ
โDonโt speak nonsense.โ Jiang Sui frowned.
โYou didnโt do anything wrong.โ
Lu Yunze paused.
โโฆYou secretly followed, didnโt you?โ
โNope~โ she shook her head, braid swaying.
โBut someone I know was there. I heard about everything from her.โ
โOh? I didnโt know. I want to meet her someday.โ
โYoung Masterโฆ are you treating women as collectibles?โ
โThat depends. Not everyone can be like you.โ
Lu Yunze fell silent.
Before he fainted, he remembered somethingโ
A silhouette.
Someone stood before him, shielding him.
Long hair. Female.
Desperately trying to protect himโ
It wasnโt Luo Yao.
Jiang Sui wasnโt there.
So who?
His gaze drifted toward Jiang Sui and then shifted away.
Noโฆ she wasnโt lying.
Then the protector must beโ
someone else.
Lu Yunze quietly lowered his eyes, slipping a four-leaf-clover green pendant back beneath his collar before Jiang Sui noticed.
The emerald shimmered under the sunlight.
Then he changed the topic and continued discussing gardening with her.
Even trying to decipher what going on in the chapter is a challenge now. Luo Yao is not a maid or a servant. When Luo Yunze asks who killed Hu Ming, the translation changes to Jiang Sui even though he’s still talking to Luo Yao. God what happened to the competent translator?
Fixed.